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VOLUME 44 NUMBER 6 July, 1981
{
by Joseph F. Kelly
From the military archives
Gardens
comes a tale the U.S. Army $4 by Hal Hill
would rather forget. i
A young Sicilian immigrant
page 14
1 .1
left you a legacy greater than
dollars.
1
u
1 -3] page 42
A Gallery of ^. ^^
Common Desert Tracks in the Sand
Insects
by Susan Durr Nix
1 / - • •
by Choral Pepper
Was our desert home to a
pre-Columbian people from
1 1
Numerous, yes, but these
bugs are wholly uncommon across the Atlantic?
§
in their lifestyles. page 50
page 20
Editor
DONALD MACDONALD
Assistant Editor
KATHRYN KRAHENBUHL
Copy Editor
ON E. S. MITMAN
Design Consultant
Graphic Artists
GITTA PFAHL
LIZ MCDONALD
Archives Librarian
Advertising Sales
Advertising is an KEVIN ANDERSEN, Mgr.
BILL SCHAUL
important part of that Marketing Director
Circulation Manager
Business Manager
TERRI BIANCO
Anything advertised
in Desert magazine has Executive Publisher
JULIE BRAZEAU
my personal endorsement.
Thank you for reading Desert. Publisher
ED SF.YKOTA
4 JULY, 1981
There is GOLD in
EDITORIAL them 'thar hills!
a n d it is
b e i n g found
A Vision of Freedom with the
help of . . .
T IS the year 1880. Imagine More, though, wish to be assimilated,
yourself an Indian for the minutes
/ it takes to read this.
at least in part, that part which affords
the tractor, the pick-up, the double- ALLIED
Dee Brown's and your story of the
Indian Wars, Bury My Heart at
wide mobile, the college education for
the children. But, you know it won't SERVICES
Wounded Knee, * has not yet been writ- come from pots and Kachinas, or from Over 6,000 square feet of
ten. Neither, of course, has the inter- government handouts. the most complete stock
pretation of Hopi tradition by Tom So you resist the environmentalists of supplies for the professional
Kavanagh and Mike Kabotie, which who wish to close Peabody Coal Co.'s or beginner — plus, expert
appears on page 54 of this magazine. strip mine across the mesa from guidance in the use and
You already know, though, about the Kayenta. You know about coal. Your selection of your equipment.
authentic transcripts of what your ancestors mined it 1,000 years ago,
chiefs had to say at innumerable long before the Europeans, and used it • Gold Dredges • Wet Suits
parleys between them and your white to heat their pueblos and bake their
conquerors, from which Brown put piki. • Metal Detectors • Dry
together his compelling rewrite of You know that Peabody refills Washers • Sluices • Gold
western history. depleted pits and seeds the fill with
You know, as Brown and his readers native grasses. You only have to go see Pans • Tools • Topo Maps
found out, that the Indian did not fire an older mine of theirs on Navaho • Laboratory Apparatus
the first arrow, take the first scalp or land; you can't tell where it was. But
torture the first prisoner. You know some of your brothers still side with • Mineral Lights • Gold
that the white man negotiates treaties the white man in wishing to remain a Scales • Lapidary
with no intent of keeping them, that he living museum.
appropriates your land without regard Their doubts are real, for the idea of Equipment • Books
to your wishes and that he has begun bringing industry to the reservation has • Magazines • And Much,
transporting survivors of the wars that not been entirely successful. A Hopi-
resulted to far-off "reservations" that financed clothing factory on tribal Much More!
are too barren to support human life. lands near Winslow went bankrupt. A
Much later, perhaps 100 or so years small electronics plant near Hoencopi, Over 1,600 different
from where you are, your descendents however, is thriving. It, along with the publications in stock. Back
will see justice come full circle, still ig- mine, is a start. issues of magazines
noring your dreams and theirs. It is It is better than moving to a far-off including Desert!
1981 now, and the whites, perhaps in city. Assimilation needn't mean
atonement for inherited wrongs, persist loneliness in a strange land of steel and "It we don't have it in stock
in their interference, this time with concrete, where your culture might . . . chances are you don't
good intentions of saving your culture, wither and die with you. That is for need it."
that little which wasn't buried with the few who have become lawyers and
your heart. doctors.
If you are a Hopi, about whom
Kavanagh and Kabotie write, you are
now a symbol of a free and simple way
You only want to be an American,
proud of your Hopi extraction. You
want roots, yes, but not those of a tree
ALLIED
of life unattainable in white suburbia.
Your exquisite pottery is displayed in
museums, tourists motor across states
which can't of itself move an inch from
where it was born. You want freedom,
with full realization that it is not sim-
SERVICES
Sales. Service and Rentals
to watch your ceremonies and on ple. It costs money which must be since 1969
television of late, you even find earned —and you would, if they'd just
yourself winning a few skirmishes. leave you alone. Visit our showroom located 5
You have been enshrined as a living The white man is strange, you think. miles east of Disneyland, IV2
national monument. You have a role He is still your captor, only now, he blocks south of Katella Avenue
you must play. You must sit in front of envies your state. (east of Orange Freeway, Rte 57)
your pueblo and fire pots or carve
Kachinas, which are soon duplicated 966 North Main Street
by the thousands in the white man's Orange, California 92667
factories. Phone (714) 637-8824
Some of you are content with this. Store Hours: Weekdays, 10-6;
*Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York, N.Y., Saturdays, 10-3.
1971
LETTERS
Don't Pick Up the Tarantulas ing that early evening, last March gain in the image area to get more
Articles such as the one encouraging 30, when the ranch lost a block of separation between columns, for
the capture of tarantulas as pets 41 guest rooms to fire. There were easier reading and improved
[Desert, December 1980] appear very no injuries, but Dorothy calmed graphics. We are working to find a
contrary to responsible desert manage- the mostly elderly people routed way to satisfy all the sometimes
ment. Federal land managers may per- out by the fire, and strictly en- conflicting demands.
mit certain activities, but state parks joined the 70-plus-year-old men
are strictly regulated. The rangers from "bed-hopping." Then she Frustrated Hoosier
would appreciate your efforts to help kissed each one of them good I feel I must tell you what your
persons enjoy the desert rather than night. magazine means to me—a frustrated
take it home with them. Dorothy, originally from Hoosier who loves the southwest.
K. A. Smith Chicago, was visiting Tecopa Hot Through the years, my husband and I
Borrego Springs, Calif. Springs with her husband in 1973, made many vacation trips to the west
The author's (and our) intent was liked Death Valley, and came coast, always planning ahead to make
to protect all tarantulas by stress- down to the ranch and applied for at least one side trip to someplace we
ing that the male is essentially a job. Her husband found work in had read about in Desert Magazine.
harmless, its rare sting causing no nearby mines, and they've been Our dream was to retire and really take
more discomfort than that of a there ever since. The college kids off, perhaps even move to the sun belt.
bee. The male requires 10 years to employed seasonally at the resort However, I lost my dear husband
reach maturity, and dies within all remember Dorothy as they five years ago and just retired myself
eight months of the act. The would their own mother; she last spring. How can an old lady of 65
species is less endangered by the seems gruff, but there's a fun- even think of taking off in a four-wheel
loss of the few which are sold as loving heart of gold inside. drive and head for the desert alone?
pets than by persons who en- Mary A. Crago
counter the tarantula in the wild,
think it is dangerous, and kill it on
Bookbinders' Lament Indianapolis, Ind.
Have you no mercy for bookbinders? Don't even think about it—just do
sight. They are most commonly
captured by dealers immediately First you change format in mid- it.
after mating, in October and volume, then you leave us almost no
November, when concentrations of trim margin. Sometimes there is as lit- McWhorter Again
them are found wandering around tle as 1/8 inch at the bottom and 3/16
in a dazed condition. Therefore, a at the outside edge. If imposition,
pet tarantula at $27 can be a short- folding and original trimming were
lived investment. The mating completely accurate the problem could
migrations take place on all kinds be managed, but that is seldom the
of desert land, public and private, case. So, some pages end up with prac-
and the species is plentiful enough tically no margins whatever when
not to protected by law. trimmed for binding into book form,
and the result looks terrible. Don't just
stand there, do something!
The Cafeteria Lady J. R. McClurkin
I'd like to know more about Dorothy Santa Monica, Calif.
Brown, who seems to always be in the A majority of magazines have
cafeteria at the Furnace Creek Ranch gradually reduced their trim size Publication of my letter in the January
in Death Valley. I got up at 5 a.m. and in recent years, a practice dictated [1981] Desert assures that issue will
she was there, and when I came back in part by constantly increasing become a collectors' item. And, Newell
at 10 p.m., she was still there. She is a paper and shipping costs. Unfor- Charde's letter about cats gobbling
quiet woman, I know, but she must tunately, too, the image or live lizards emptied my tear ducts. Damn
have a story to tell. area has not shrunk accordingly, cats! I enclose an unusual snap of a col-
Dot Kangas because advertising agencies are lared lizard. It looks like a studio
Hubbardstown, Mass. slow to change the standardized study, but I actually took it in the wild
Dorothy, who is in charge of the dimensions of their ads. Recent where there are no cats —in the Seven-
cafeteria, could tell many stories issues of Desert Magazine prior to Troughs Mountains north of Lovelock,
about herself, but she won't March, 1981, represent conven- Nevada. That is where diatomaceous
because she's too modest. We had tional industry sizing, which is ad- earth is mined, an unusual habitat for
to find out from her boss, for ex- mittedly tough on bookbinders. the collared or any other lizard.
ample, how she magically turned Our current issues are 1/4-inch Frank P. McWhorter
her cafeteria into emergency hous- wider overall but we used up this Carmel, Calif.
6 JULY, 1981
Luxury on a Baja Beach
\\ econhotel
illi
Av. Ml»ion dc LorMo No. 148 • Apdo. Posml No. 190 • Son Febpe. B«j« California. MeKlco • Ttlefono.: 7-1094 »1 71098
was a large mill, a business district and SEND YOUR ORDER TO:
school, and nearly 100 homes.
Daniel W. Hays SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SERVICES
Eugene, Ore. 839 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038
THE SANTA
CATALINA MOUNTAINS:
A DESERT SKY-ISLAND
Article and Photographs by Andrew Steuer III
favorable outwash plains. This giant possesses the most diverse flora of all
A
N ALMOST academically
perfect aspect of the southern cactus also grows on the more rugged the southwestern deserts, characterized
L Arizona landscape is the assem- terrain above the bajadas, as well as on by the occurrence of small desert trees
blage of "sky-islands," the isolated the nearly vertical walls of the south- and an abundance of cacti. Represent-
mountain ranges which harbor con- facing canyons. atives of all the major groups of cactus
iferous forests high above the The Sonoran desert community at in the southwest are found in the
grasslands and deserts below. South of these lower elevations is the first of the Sonoran desert: columnars, barrels,
the Mogollon Rim, such ranges as the life zones encountered as one ascends chollas, prickly-pears, pincushions and
Pinalenos, Pinals, Galiuros, Babo- the Santa Catalinas. The life zone prin- hedgehogs. Because of the stands of
quivaris and Chiricahuas exhibit a rug- ciple is perhaps better illustrated in giant saguaro and the presence of the
ged topography unlike that of much of southern Arizona than anywhere else, desert trees, this portion of the
the plateau-dominated terrain of north- the Santa Catalinas in particular are Sonoran desert is often referred to as
ern Arizona. The Santa Catalina often used as the textbook example of the arboreal desert.
Mountains are, in many respects, a the concept. The upper limit of elevation to
typical sky-island range, while in other which the Lower Sonoran, or any other
ways they display the island-like quali- life zone, extends is dependent upon
ty of individuality. several factors, but the major deter-
The Santa Catalinas occupy a 200 minant is the directional orientation of
square mile piece of very convoluted A sky-island is like an the slope. On sunny south-facing
real estate whose steep front range slopes, each life zone reaches a higher
leans hard on the city of Tucson's ecological Noah's Ark, elevation than it does on the cooler
northern edge. On the south-facing a safe haven, north-facing slopes. For this reason,
slopes above the city, ideal conditions the elevations of life zones are usually
for the growth of Sonoran desert
in a desert instead of expressed as being somewhere between
vegetation are found at elevations a deluge. two extremes, rather than as a single
below 4,000 feet. Facing to the south, definite elevation.
these slopes enjoy optimum exposure The Upper Sonoran Zone begins at
to the sun, which reduces the danger of about 3,500 or 4,000 feet as grassland
damage from freezing temperatures in gradually takes over. There are three
the winter. Many of the plants here The major factors which govern the subdivisions to the Upper Sonoran
have water-storing tissues, and most of marked variation among the life zones Zone: grassland transition, open oak
them are derived from tropical are rainfall and temperature. Rainfall woodland, and oak-pine woodland. On
ancestors; as a result, this plant com- increases with the elevation while the north side of the Santa Catalinas,
munity is especially sensitive to the temperature decreases; thus, as one fac- near the town of Oracle, the grassland
cold. Also favoring the development of tor is at a maximum, the other is at a transition is the lowest zone present
the desert foothill plant community is minimum. Annual rainfall in the because of the north-facing aspect of
the water supplied by the runoff of in- Lower Sonoran Zone is a scant 11 the slopes and the higher elevation of
frequent rains. A greater diversity of inches or so, yet atop nearby Mt. Lem- the land at the base of the mountains.
plant life is thus attained in the slope mon the total is around 25 or 30 The elevation of Oracle is 4,514 feet,
habitat when compared to that of the inches. In this part of Arizona, the while that of Tucson on the south side
thirsty flats below. temperature drops about four degrees of the Catalinas is only 2,389 feet.
Streams flowing from the mountains for each 1,000 feet of elevation. So, The grassland transition is the lowest
deposit debris and form alluvial fans while the Lower Sonoran Zone of the Upper Sonoran environments.
which spread outward from the mouths swelters in 100 degree temperatures at Oaks begin to appear slightly higher as
of the canyons. The long, gradual 2,750 feet, it can be a comfortable 75 the open oak woodland is reached.
slopes resulting from the overlap of degrees among the Douglas firs at Toward the highest portion of the Up-
side-by-side alluvial deposits are called 9,000 feet in the Canadian Zone. per Sonoran Zone, pines begin to
bajadas. The gentler of these slopes The first life zone, the Lower appear among the oaks, creating the
furnish additional areas for the foothill Sonoran, consists of the aforemen- oak-pine woodland.
plant community. The coarse-soiled ba- tioned Sonoran desert community, The ponderosa pine forest, starting
jadas have fine stands of saguaro which dominated by the saguaro-palo verde at 6,000 or 7,000 feet, comprises the
form so-called cactus forests on these association. The Sonoran desert Transition Zone. While the trees of the
DESERT 11
Upper Sonoran oak and oak-pine chutes into the deep stone basins
woodlands are rather short, the beneath each fall, creates a scene as
plNSHOOTlNG * BO7>\ ponderosa pines of the Transition Zone beautiful as it is incongruous in the
° ISS grow tall in open stands. otherwise parched, cactus-studded
TREASURE The loftiest of the life zones in the
Catalinas is the Canadian Zone. This
landscape.
Just as Finger Rock and Bear differ
T
HE CANYONS that cut deeply
guide, and true stories of peo-
ple, just like you, who have into the Santa Catalinas can characteristics, and although they may
found treasure. No obligation. sometimes throw the usually or- share some general traits, if you've
dered life zones out of whack. Cool air seen one, you haven't seen them all.
FREE BOOKS flows down the canyons in much the
same way as water, creating some local-
The Santa Catalina Mountains com-
prise but one of the dozen units of
TOLL FREE NUMBER
TEXAS ly inverted life zone situations. A good Coronado National Forest, which in-
1-800-442-4889 example of this is found in the upper cludes many other sky-island ranges in
ALL OTHER STATES reaches of Bear Canyon. There, a southeastern Arizona. Being part of the
1-800-527-4011 Transition Zone forest of ponderosa National Forest system, "land of many
GARRETT pines on the cool floor of the canyon
lies far below an Upper Sonoran oak-
uses," and being so convenient to near-
by Tucson, the Catalinas are used by
ELECTRONICS pine community which basks on the many people for recreation. For this
Dept. G100 warm sunny cliffs. Another en-
2614 National Drive vironmental feature of the canyons is
Garland, Texas 75041
214 278-6151
the so-called riparian woodland. This
cottonwood and willow dominated
woodland is confined to the edges of
Each canyon is different
H
A1IWVJ M3N streams in the lower reaches of the from the next;
better-watered canyons. In Sabino Can- each is its own place,
yon, where the creek flows most of the
year, is a well-developed riparian its own world.
woodland which hugs the watercourse,
contrasting sharply with the arid
saguaro-covered canyon walls on either
132 PAGE CATALOG side. reason, the Catalinas have been made
CAMPING FURNITURE & G E A R - Everywhere in these mountains are more readily accessible than most of
RV ACCESSORIES the canyons, radiating out from around the other mountain ranges in the area.
the central high places or cutting a Just inside the national forest boundary
side-by-side course like ribs along the is Sabino Canyon Recreation Area,
spine of a great ridge. Each is different which is heavily used by the public for
from the next; each its own place, its picnics, horseback riding and other
own world. Finger Rock Canyon be- outdoor activities, but what really
gins as a narrow corridor, cutting into opens up the Catalinas to the general
the Catalina's front range toward public is the Mt. Lemmon Highway, a
PLUS!
EVERY ON-OFF ROAD TIRE KNOWN TO MAN! Finger Rock itself, high above. It two-lane paved road going all the way
OFF-ROAD LIGHTS - WARN HUBS & becomes even more narrow until it to the top of Mt. Lemmon.
WINCHES — ROUGH COUNTRY SHOCKS
& SUSPENSION KITS — ROLL BARS — gradually seems to squeeze itself out of The Mt. Lemmon Highway zig-zags
G.I. SURPLUS GOODIES — BOOKS & existence after four and a half miles, for about 30 miles from the desert
REALLY UNIQUE ITEMS! just below the summit of Mt. Kimball.
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floor to the wooded interior of the
Dept. D The bottom of Bear Canyon is mountains. If viewed from directly
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strewn with immense boulders, many
as big as a house. Slightly more than
two miles up canyon, Bear Creek
overhead, the Catalinas would appear
roughly triangular in outline, with Mt.
Lemmon near the center. The
makes a right-angle turn to the left, highway, therefore, penetrates to the
C~ CANADIAN & FOREIGN REQUESTS*
S2. o.S, CURRENCY ascends some formidable rock terraces, heart of these mountains. Here and
then makes a right-angle turn to the there along the highway are picnic
Aridr right to continue in its original direc- areas and campgrounds, and near the
tion. As Bear Creek descends this steep top of Mt. Lemmon there is a winter
City _
stone staircase between the two bends, sports center, the southernmost skiing
, State 7ip I it becomes Seven Falls. The cool, clear area in the United States. Also, there
water, cascading down the smooth rock are unpaved road and jeep trails
12 JULY, 1981
branching off the main highway; one
of these roads winds down the north-
ern ridges for 28 miles to Oracle.
Obviously, the presence of the
highway and recreation areas, along
with the people and vehicles they at-
tract, threatens the wilderness integrity
of the Catalinas to some extent. Still,
most of the range remains wild and
remote. In the incredibly rugged Pusch
Ridge area at the western end of the
Catalinas, there is even a population of
bighorn sheep, a remarkable presence
considering they are practically on the
doorstep of a metropolitan area with
half a million people.
Pusch Ridge, along with the bulk of
the Catalina backcountry, is accessible
only by foot. Trails lead all the way
through the mountains, but hiking is
made difficult by the rugged terrain
and, more often than not, the. lack of
water. Many hiking routes climb above
the drainage-ways, putting the water
supply out of the hiker's reach. The
floors of most of the canyons are bone-
dry anyway, except when they are
under a raging torrent following a "First name in Metal Detectors Since 1931"
storm. What reliable sources of water
there may be are few and widely Whether you are a weekend coinshooter or a professional
separated, so water must be packed in treasure hunter, Fisher has a model designed for your needs
by the hiker. So, even with their Fisher detectors have proven themselves time and time again
relative accessibility, the greater part of as the most sensitive deep seeking detectors you can buy.
the Catalinas remain aloof and Fourteen models to choose from including our two box
unyielding beyond the hot canyon Gemini II. Priced from $14995 to $41995. See your local
dealer or write for information
walls and the far-off ridges. Hopefully,
as southern Arizona in general and
FISHERU)
Tucson in particular continue their
burgeoning growth, the Santa Catalinas
will remain largely intact by virtue of
their National Forest status. The swell-
ing Tucson population will surely Fisher Research Laboratory
result in more people using the moun- 1005 I Street, Los Banos, CA 93635
tains for recreation, but the leap-frog
housing construction in the Catalina
foothills stops dead at the National
Forest boundary.
The radical difference between the
"We're Celebrating Our 50th Year"
hot desert lowlands and the cool forests
above makes these ranges unique,
which is amazing, considering how
close together these extremes are. Thus,
the short trip up the Mt. Lemmon
Highway is very much like driving from
Mexico to Canada, in terms of life
F1 Jeep READ ABOUT
TODAY'S GOLDRUSH
zones. Such a collection of different en- "our only business" Articles and news items about
vironmental conditions, occupying an prospecting, mines and mining, both
isolated mountain range poking up from large and small operations. Pictures,
an arid sea, is like an ecological Noah's
SALES — LEASING hints, tips, advertisements for ma-
Ark, a safe haven in a desert instead of a PARTS — SERVICE chinery, mines and claims. Published
monthly. $5.00 per year. Send for
deluge. There, above a thirsty ocean, We Service What We Sell sample copy.
supremely still and brooding beyond the
endless saguaro legions, replete with
JOHNSON'S 4WD CENTER
hidden canyons and evergreen forests, Western PROSPECTOR b MINER
the Santa Catalinas remain massive and 7590 Cypress Ave. at Van Buren Dept. D
Riverside, Calif. 92503 (714) 785-1330 BOA 146, Tombstone, AZ 85638
indomitable. 0
DESERT 13
A Tale the U.S. Army Would Rather Forget
DESERT 15
Mowry's politics also brought him houses were burned and mines became This adobe ruin is thought to have
into conflict with another mining man the graves of the miners. To add to the been used as quarters for the
who was against statehood. An article problem, Mexican bandits saw their owner and his guests.
in the local (and only) paper led to a opportunity and began raiding to the
public exchange of insults between one north.
Edward Cross and Sylvester Mowry. A The region from Tucson south to the
challenge was issued and a duel sched- Mexican border became a waste, one then was a dusty collection of run-
uled, the men meeting at Tubac in traveler writing that you could ride the down adobe huts, mostly populated by
July, 1859. The first shots were ex- entire 65 miles and never be out of outcasts driven from the mining camps
changed but both men missed. The sight of a fresh grave. Mowry, like of California, and chased out of Texas
second round was fired, Cross missed other Arizonans, appealed for help. He for rustling. It was said that dead
again and Mowry's pistol failed to fire. wrote impartially to both Washington mules lay in the streets until scaveng-
The referees then decided Mowry de- and to Richmond, Virginia, the capitol ing dogs carried off the bones. Mowry
served another shot, but he refused to of the newly-formed Confederacy. came in a fancy carriage, accompanied
fire at the unarmed Cross and fired in- The political situation in Arizona re- by his private secretary, personal ser-
stead into the air. Both men, un- mained in confusion. At first the area vant and his mistress.
scathed, declared the matter ended and was controlled by a group of Texans General Carleton and Sylvester
shook hands. Mowry later bought the who favored the Confederacy. Then a Mowry disliked each other on sight.
paper, the Arizonan, and moved the volunteer army from California defeat- Mowry told the General he was "a
press to Tucson where it continued ed the Texans at a battle near Picacho non-participant in the war, and not on
publication until the outbreak of the Peak, and set up headquarters in Tuc- anyone's side." This "neutral" attitude
Civil War in 1861. son. When the leader of the occupiers, displayed by a former U.S. Army offi-
General James Carleton, established cer infuriated Carleton, so the General
T WAS A time of chaos. Just his command, he found most Tucson- called a Board of Inquiry that summar-
prior to the Civil War, a young ians favored the South, and his ego ily tried, convicted and sentenced
/ Army lieutenant started an Indian seemed to suffer from this lack of en- Mowry to the Territorial Prison at
war in Arizona when he tried to arrest thusiasm on the part of "his subjects." Yum a.
the Apache chief, Cochise, for a crime He also received a letter, signed "T. History records that Mowry's term
he had not committed. Then when the Scheuner, Metallurgist, M.S.M.," that as a prisoner wasn't very hard to take.
Civil War broke out, the Army's fron- accused Sylvester Mowry of aiding the His time was spent on picnics and
tier outposts were ordered abandoned Confederacy, purportedly by selling horseback rides with the officers at
and burned, and all of the troops were them percussion caps, and of stating Fort Yuma, who were friends from his
sent to the east. Arizona was left unde- that, "Twenty Southerners could whip old Army days. The thing that ruined
fended, at the mercy of the Apaches, a hundred Northerners." Angered, him financially was an order from the
who had no mercy. When the Indians General Carleton ordered Mowry to U.S. District Court in Albuquerque,
saw the soldiers depart, they imme- present himself at Army Headquarters obtained by Carleton. Mowry's mine
diately attacked the defenseless Arizon- in Tucson, forthwith. was seized and briefly operated by
ans. Hundreds of men, women and Mowry's arrival in Tucson must General Carleton, and then sold at auc-
children were slaughtered, ranch have been quite a spectacle. Tucson tion for only $2,000. While it was in
DESERT 17
Carleton's hands, it was operated on passes over a scenic group of moun- corner is an adobe ruin. This road was
behalf of the United States govern- tains. At Sonoita, bear right on State the main street of Harshaw, a once
ment, probably the only time in his- Highway 82, an equally good road thriving community built to serve the
tory that the country was in the silver which takes you to Patagonia, 12 miles Hermosa Mine. When the minerals ran
mining business. away. out, the town died. If you go to the
Mowry appealed to the court and In Patagonia [Desert, March 1979] left, about one-eighth of a mile, you'll
was eventually released, for there had you'll see an old railroad depot on your see a couple of interesting homes, one
been no evidence that proved his guilt. left. Turn left at the depot and go one still occupied. Back at the main dirt
He then sued General Carleton and the short block to the street that parallels road, look to your right, at the hill.
government for damages in the 4th the road you've just left. This is There you'll find an old cemetery, still
District Court of California. He was McKeon, and here you might want to in use. Some graves are quite recent
awarded $40,000, hardly adequate take time and visit an unusual attrac- and some very old, just piles of rocks,
compensation for his imprisonment tion, the Museum of the Horse, just with the wooden crosses rotted away.
and long-term loss of a million-dollar down the street to the right. Admission At one time, 2,000 people lived in
mine which was returned to him in is inexpensive, for it is a labor of love Harshaw but during your visit, you'll
ruins, stripped of machinery and for owner Anne Stradling, who has col- probably be the only person in sight.
plundered. lected memorabilia of the horse from Go five miles further on the main
prehistoric times to the present. You'll dirt road to reach Mowry. Along the
Mowry traveled to England after his
see original Remingtons, photos, sad- way the terrain gets more rugged, with
release in an attempt to raise capital to
dles, life-sized models and a splendid deep valleys and run-down looking
reopen his mine, having already gained
assortment of restored carriages. homesteads. The creek that runs along
at least moral support by writing a
While parked at the museum, try a the road crosses it at several locations.
best-selling book about Arizona and his
meal or snack in the dining room of You will know when you reach
silver mine. Further assistance came
the Stage Stop Motel. The food and Mowry: there is a private residence on
from another noted writer of the day,
service are excellent, the prices moder- the right, the home of a rancher, with
John Ross Browne, who also wrote a
ate and the decor interesting in the pens built near the road and a wind-
book about Arizona and the Mowry
glassed dining room with views of the mill on the left, built very near the
Silver Mine.
patio and pool and always blooming road. Look for a dirt road going left
Unfortunately, however, Mowry be-
flowers. Then, when you wish to leave and park about a hundred feet in, on
came ill while in England, and died.
for the Mowry Mine, go back on the rise of ground.
His mine was sold at auction in 1874.
In the interims between his imprison- McKeon in the general direction from If you look to the left, up toward a
ment, trip to England, death and the which you came into town. This road high hillside, you'll see the mine site.
auction, the mine had been operated heads up a hill, past the church, then Roam around and inspect the many
by claim-jumpers who were brave (or turns and goes out of town, turning ruins. Be careful of open shafts if you
foolish) enough to risk death from the southward into the countryside. It is a climb up the hillside past the tailing
Apaches. After the auction, the mine paved road, but rough. piles. The ridge is terraced. Along the
was worked by different combinations Six miles from town, the road meets ridge is the collapsed mine shaft, venti-
of owners until 1907, when it was sold a fork. Turn right, toward Harshaw; lation shafts, a beautiful field-stone
again. Mining then ceased, but some the other fork goes to Parker Canyon. building without a roof and two metal
re-smelting operations were done on Two miles down this dirt road, you'll tanks, high to the right, hidden in the
the tailings in 1950. Since that year it come to another intersection where a trees. These ruins are all that is left of
has been idle, and the many ruins on dirt road branches to the left. At the one man's transient dream. @
the claim have been unguarded. Some
are adobe, others of beautiful field JtTOCASA GRANDE
stone. It is difficult to date the ruins.
Along the mountainside are collapsed
tunnel openings; open ventilation
shafts through solid rock, dropping a
hundred feet into darkness; and
numerous tailing piles. The whole
mine area is like an unkempt park with
gently rolling, grassy fields, huge trees
and many paths and roads.
CACTI
TEXT BY ED SEYKOTA, ART BY GITTA PFAHL
HIS WORLD IS A
PROBLEM-
*A dust storm is a windstorm that sweeps up clouds of dust while passing over an arid region.
A Gallery of Common
DESERT INSECTS
with Uncommon Lifestyles
What purpose has a common name in the world of biology? by projecting themselves, twig-like, at rigid angles from
Not much, if you want a technically accurate identification. For branches. Fleshy tubercles eliminate telltale shadows where
the lay person, though, common names are often vivid the caterpillars hang on, completing the illusion. Many adult
characterizations that breathe life into what would otherwise be geometrids use this "Peter Pan effect" (no shadow) to escape
undifferentiated or ordinary. That plain black beetle becomes the detection by pressing their bark-colored wings flat against
unforgettable stink bug; this caterpillar, a delightful inchworm. tree trunks. In this position, they are nearly invisible.
If there is a problem with common names, it lies not in impreci-
sion but in overemphasizing single traits. Most invertebrates HOVERFLY
lead far more interesting lives than a common name can convey. Another nectar-eating insect is so closely associated with
flowers that it is widely known as the flower fly. This is the
PRAYING MANTIS hoverfly, a close relative of houseflies despite its
The premiere insect predator is without doubt the praying resemblance, by coloration and behavior, to bees and wasps.
mantis. Concealing coloration, a lightning-fast attack, jack- Hoverflies are superb aerial gymnasts. Like other true flies,
knife claws with sharp piercing spines and an insatiable ap- they have only two wings, which are powered by muscular
petite make its prayerful attitude an irony. They would be tissue unequaled for speed in the animal kingdom. They are
better called "preying" mantids. all able to loop, swoop, hover, climb vertically and fly for-
Mantids are the only insects that can look "over their ward, sideways, upside-down and backward, shifting course
shoulders." Their heads swivel until the enormous eyes in a fraction of a second.
point directly at insect prey. The angle of strike is computed Hovering like a helicopter is most highly developed in
with pinpoint accuracy by the degree of head-turning that is flower flies, which defy complex wind currents to look as if
registered on sensory hairs at the base of the neck. A com- they were standing still. Their wingspeed is an incredible
plete attack sequence takes only 30 to 50 thousandths of a 120 beats per second. Hoverflies are important pollinators
second, but even without the possibility of mid-strike correc- whose larvae feed voraciously on aphids and other small
tions, mantids catch their prey 85 percent of the time. insects.
A male mantis often loses his head over a female. She bites
it off during copulation to remove his inhibitions. With his TARANTULA HAWK
nerve center gone, the male's body continues to copulate Tarantula hawks are not birds but large, solitary Pepsis
vigorously, ensuring fertilization. Such devouring "love" also wasps. As the name suggests, they are to spiders what hawks
provides nourishment for the female's developing ovaries. are to rodents, with one difference: the wasp herself doesn't
eat her prey; she uses it for baby food.
INCHWORM One-tenth the tarantula's weight and several times smaller,
The name inchworm or measuring worm belongs to cater- the wasp has the upper hand, nevertheless, by virtue of her
pillars on their way to becoming rather dull looking potent sting. This is delivered by a piercing shaft braced by
geometrid moths. They loop along by stretching forward and two barbed lancets that pump it full of exactly enough
grasping with the front legs, then arching their bodies to pull venom to paralyze and preserve, rather than kill, the spider.
the tail end up close behind the head. Other caterpillars pro- Then begins the laborious journey back to the wasp's
pel their fluid-filled bodies with pairs of "false legs" on the spider-sized burrow. Although it may be several hundred
midsection, which the inchworm lacks, in combination with yards away, the tarantula hawk drags the spider straight to it,
muscular contractions. Each false leg has suckers and hooks using memorized landmarks. She seals the tarantula inside
which grip and release in response to waves of movement, after laying an egg, which hatches three days later and feeds
"walking" the caterpillar along. on the living larder. From this grisly beginning comes an
Geometrids are masters of camouflage, foiling hungry birds adult wasp whose nourishment is strictly flower nectar.
20 JULY, 1981
Praying Mantis
Inchworm Hoverfly
22 JULY, 1981
Whip Scorpion
m
^ • b • c> -s*'^>
PONY
Apply, Central Overland Express, Aha After returning home, Russell in-
Bldg., Montgomery St. formed his partners of the new ven-
ture. Seeing the huge costs involved
and no possibility of profits, Majors
W
HEN THIS ad first appeared
in a San Francisco paper in and Waddell were not too interested in
EXPRESS
1860, there were half a the project. However, the integrity of
million people living west of the this firm was such that when one of
Rockies. Few of these people thought the partners gave his word, the others
of themselves as settlers. They had helped him keep it, regardless of the
come west following the discovery of consequences. Reluctantly, RM&W be-
gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, when the gan preparations early in 1860 for what
whole country had gold fever. They would be called the Pony Express.
packed into ships for the long trip They organized the Central Overland
around Cape Horn, or went as far as California and Pikes Peak Express
the Isthmus of Panama where they had by J. Caruso Company to deal with this new enter-
to endure the hardships of crossing the prise. They had to plan the route,
jungle, or they came by covered build relay stations every 10 to 15
wagons fighting disease, drought and miles and fully equip them for men
Indians. and horses. Reliable men had to be
These adventurers had come west to hired as riders and station keepers, and
make their fortune and then return to the best horses money could buy had
their families back east. They all had to be found. The Pony Express was to
one thing in common: they still consid- carry the mail for 2,000 miles between
ered themselves easterners and longed St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento,
for news from home. It was becoming California. Delivery was promised in
obvious that the manana method of 10 days.
mail would no longer suffice. Mail had Since the riders would depend on
been transported by ship to Panama, speed to escape hostile Indians, only
carried across the Isthmus and loaded the fastest horses would do, and the
on another ship for delivery to Califor- weight limit for each animal's load was
nia and Oregon. Arrival was uncertain, 165 pounds. This allowed 20 pounds
but the mail was always a month to six for the mail, 25 pounds for the equip-
weeks old if and when it did arrive. ment and 120 pounds for the rider.
As war between the states became The mail was carried in a mochila.
imminent, the Union government rea- This was a mail bag made of tough,
lized it must find another method of well-tanned hide about one-eighth inch
communication between east and west. thick, with four stiff leather cantinas or
The most widely used mail routes, the pockets to hold the mail. The mochila
Butterfield Trail and Panama, would had openings in the center so it would
surely fall to the Confederacy and fit snugly over the horn and tree of the
isolate Union sympathizers. With this saddle, but still could be quickly lifted
in mind, the Union was very anxious Billy Richardson and Johnny Fry, off and thrown on the saddle of a wait-
to establish a relatively secure mail standing, and Charlie and Gus ing fresh horse. The four cantinas were
route to the north. Without news from Cliff, seated, rode the first leg kept securely locked, but station keep-
the north, California would probably from St. Joseph, Missouri. History ers had a key to one pocket in which a
secede from the Union. disputes whether Richardson or time card was placed for recording ar-
In the winter of 1859-60, William Fry rode out the first day. rival and departure times along the
Russell, senior partner in the freighting route.
firm of Russell, Majors & Waddell, Letters were written on the thinnest
was in Washington to obtain govern- northerly route. A Union sympathizer tissue paper and wrapped in oil silk to
ment freight contracts. During this himself, Russell immediately saw the protect them against moisture from
time Russell met Senator William importance of this. At the same time, stormy weather, fording streams or
Gwin of California. Gwin brought to he saw what seemed to be a good busi- perspiring animals. At first, the postal
Russell's attention the need for quick, ness opportunity. If RM&W could de- charges were $5.00 for each half-ounce
reliable mail service traversing a more liver the mail through the harsh letter, but this rate was later reduced to
24 JULY, 1981
A Pony Express rider dashes by an Overland Stage, an emigrant wagon
train and the Express' own demise, the transcontinental telegraph.
$1.00 by the Post Office Department. mail system 2,500 years ago. His words thought to have been Johnny Fry or
Native mustangs were used for the seem to perfectly describe the courage Billy Richardson. This first mail west-
western part of the trail because of and dedication of the Pony Express ward consisted of 85 letters, one a con-
their speed and stamina. These traits riders: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor gratulatory message from President
were needed to keep the pony going heat, nor gloom of night, stay these Buchanon, and a St. Joseph newspaper.
through the rough mountains in bitter couriers from the swift completion of For once, the western settlements
cold and deep snow. Thoroughbreds, their appointed rounds." [Ed. Note: would receive fresh news.
however, were bought for the eastern The U.S. Post Office still clings to this Once across the Missouri, the rider
leg of the Pony Express at a cost of slogan despite the vulnerability of pres- knew that he would have to ride 40
$150 to $200 each. That was high for ent transport to the two first-men- miles over black, muddy roads before
those days, but well worth the price tioned hazards.] turning the mochila over to the next
because their great speed would enable The idea of the Pony Express was rider westward. The stations and fresh
the rider and mail to outrun hostile In- not new. A post-horse system was used horses were ready and waiting every 10
dians on the open plains. More than by Xerxes, ruler of the Persian Empire to 15 miles. At each stop, the mochila
500 horses were used during the 18- 2,500 years ago. The Roman Empire was swept from the back of the arriv-
month duration of the Pony Express. also had a very efficient courier system, ing horse and quickly fitted into place
The riders dressed to suit them- but the finest horse relay system was on another fresh horse already saddled,
selves. They usually wore a red flannel the one organized by Genghis Khan in bridled and ready to run.
or buckskin shirt, cloth or buckskin 13th Century China. At the same time the westbound mail
trousers tucked into high leather boots, All employees of Russell, Majors & was leaving St. Joseph, the eastbound
and a hat or cap. Waddell were given a calf-bound Bible mail was placed on board the steamer
These men had to be light as and were required to take an oath Antelope at San Francisco and rushed
jockeys, with the endurance to ride 50 promising not to swear, drink intoxi- upriver to Sacramento. Upon arrival in
miles at top speed. They were the pick cating liquors, abuse their horse or Sacramento, the steamer was greeted
of the frontier, and paid anywhere quarrel with other employees. They with the blare of bands, the firing of
from $50 to $150 per month, which had another unwritten rule that was guns, floral decorations lining the
was a good salary in 1860. Many were even harder to honor: Mail first, horse streets and the unfurling of flags. Sam
very young, 14 or 15 years of age, but second and self last. Hamilton became the first rider east as
being brought up on ranches, they he dashed through the streets on a
O
were already expert riders. They were N APRIL 3, 1860, one of the white bronco to begin his ride just five
noted for their wiry physiques, west's most colorful and roman- minutes after the steamer had arrived.
bravery, endurance, and coolness in tic epics began. Amid the firing Seventy-five letters were carried in
times of great personal danger. of a cannon and excited crowds, the Hamilton's mochila.
These men were imbued with the ex- first pony rider left St. Joseph at dusk The first run from St. Joseph to Sac-
citement of the Pony Express, and took on a bay mare named Sylph. The pony ramento took nine days and 23 hours,
their vow of loyalty and honor to this galloped down to the Missouri River one hour ahead of schedule. The first
unusual venture very seriously. Hero- and was ferried across by the steamboat eastbound run took exactly 10 days. An
dotus, the ancient Greek historian, Denver. The first rider out of St. Jo- amazing feat, considering that Warren
wrote about another rapid horse relay seph is not known for sure, but is Upson's part of the trip over the Sierra
hl^PBT
The best way to learn aforeign language is to live where it's spoken
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Slow and easy and barefoot.
On the beaches of Martinique, Bimini,
!• J Exploring an underwater world
teeming with colorful and exotic life.
Tortola. In the native ports of Antiqua, Dancing to the throb of native steel
Nelson's Harbor and Dominique. drums 'til the wee hours of morning.
On the decks of a beautiful sailing Single, married or family folk, we'll fill
schooner full of great grub and grog. your life with a lifetime of memories.
In the crystal clear waters Windjammer. The hottest way to cool it.
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THE NOSIEST NEWSPAPER IN THE WEST
Vol. 2 No. 6 • MARY EILEEN TWYMAN, EDITOR • JULY, 1981
A Sociologist's View:
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PAY OWN WAY
by Dr. L. H. Garm years, legal immigration has manufacturing, food processing, use Medicaid. For obvious
Elko, Nev.—A new specter been s u p p l e m e n t e d to an construction. They usually get reasons, they shun the kind of
has come to haunt our land — extraordinary extent by illegal lower wages for their work than public subsidy which, according
the specter of the illegal im- immigration. No one knows ex- legal residents, but they are not to many experts, keeps the poor
migrant. He is commonly, actly how many have come; necessarily ill-paid, and wage from starving. But, the illegals
though not always, of Mexican according to published reports, rates among them differ con- do not die of hunger or depriva-
birth. He is generally young, the Immigration and Naturaliza- siderably. There is no evidence tion; they work hard for their
male, and he frequently sup- tion Service in 1%1 apprehend- that by their mere presence they living. When they are in need of
ports one or more dependents in ed 88,823 illegal aliens. Fifteen lower wage rates. On the con- assistance, they apparently
his own country. His main years later, their number in- trary, by contributing to the derive help from kinsmen,
reason for coming to the United creased to 875,915, of whom economy in their dual capacity friends and churches, bar from
States is to find a job, and he 765,095 were expelled. At this of consumers and producers, burdening the public treasury,
rarely fails to do so. moment, analysts estimate that they help to raise both their the illegals mostly contribute to
The illegal immigrants' alleged something like six to eight neighbor's living standards and it through Social Security and
failings are many. It is claimed million illegal aliens dwell in our their own. federal income tax payments
they compete unfairly with midst. Stereotypes not withstanding, withheld from their paychecks,
American workers and thus C o n t r a r y to p r e v a i l i n g the illegal aliens make lew without corresponding benefits.
lower the wage rates. I he illegals stereotypes, no more than about demands on the United States The opponents of immigra-
add to the taxpayers' welfare one-fifth are employed in farm taxpayer. Few aliens collect tion assume that the United
burden. The men and women work. They do all kinds of other unemployment benefits, go on States has reached the limits of
who cross our borders vastly welfare, receive food stamps or Continued on page 36
rough jobs, laboring in textile
increase the American popula-
tion, and thereby render ineffec-
tive existing forms of population
control; they accordingly place
new burdens on the diminishing PAINTED DESERT ROCKS CAUSE PROTEST
ecological resources of the na- Mount Sinai, Egypt—A work "Sinai Peace Junction," otherwise unspoiled valley.
tion. The illegal immigrants, French artist with 13 tons of dismisses the criticism as mere He expects to finish by
some say (though not loudly), paint is well advanced on a con- dogmatism and says he is adding mid-1981, but the paint will last
belong to the most backward troversial plan to paint large ex- the "human dimension" to (or many years, perhaps cen-
strata of their own country: panses of a desert valley near nature. turies, with only wind-blown
their religious bigotry, ma- biblical Mount Sinai. "I am a nature lover," he says. sand to wear it away.
chismo, and male chauvinism T h o u g h t h e project was "I destroy nothing. Nature has The permanent nature of the
clash with the new American authorized personally by Presi- its dimensions, and I add a work angered the Israeli Society
lifestyle, which centers on per- dent Anwar Sadat, ecologists human dimension by adding for the Protection of Nature,
sonal growth and sensitivity. and desert lovers in Israel have color to point something up." which is trying to mobilize inter-
The illegal immigrants will p r o t e s t e d w h a t they call He began to paint at this national protests.
Hispanicize the country. They "desecration of a beautiful remote site on the southern The valley, called Bir Nafach,
add to our crime rate. The com- natural region" which was Sinai Peninsula in mid-October is about three miles from Mount
plaints continue. under Israeli control until a year after a year of preparation, and Sinai in a straight line, or 10
What are the facts? Between ago, when the Egyptians moved the result is immediately ap- miles of roundabout driving on
1820 and N75, something like in under the terms of the Israel- parent when one climbs the last sandy tracks recommended only
47 million immigrants lawfully Egypt peace treaty. rise and sees the bright blue for four-wheel drive vehicles.
entered this country. In recent Jean Verame, who calls the boulders spotted around the — Desert News Service
A long road away from single-jackass days, the Boiling Pot Outfit has a multi-thousand dollar
investment in special-purpose vehicles, a part of which are shown here. Western PROSPECTOR &
MINER
• Open Year-Round
• Children Welcome
• 48 rooms & suites
May 16-Aug. 2: A photographic exhib- further information and a list of nightly (kitchens available)
it capturing the delicacy of the tiniest entertainment, contact the El Paso Art
• Large Heated Pool
desert wildflowers opens May 16 at the Resources Department at (915) 543-6328.
July 14: The Laguna Beach (California) Color Television
Natural History Museum in Balboa
Park, San Diego, California. The exhibit Summer Arts Festival will be holding its Individual Air
will feature photographs by Robert I. annual Art-A-Fair on Canyon Acres Conditioning
Gilbreath, which were taken in the Road. There will be fine art exhibits for
deserts of the western U.S. and Mexico. friend, follower and tourist alike. Con- Moderate Rates
For further information, call (714) tact Don Markowitz, Publicity, P.O. Box CALL OR WRITE FOR
232-3821. 547, Laguna Beach, CA 92652.
RESERVATIONS
June 3-Sept. 8: The Field Museum of July 18-19: The Santa Cruz Mineral
Natural Historv. Roosevelt Road at Lake and Gem Society, Inc. presents their
Shore Drive, Cnicago, Illinois, has an ex- 29th Annual Gem and Mineral Show.
hibit on the Hopi Indian. It celebrates The theme for the show is "Treasures of
America's oldest continuously surviving the Earth." It will be held at the Civic
culture, and features large scale models of Auditorium, located at Church and
Hopi religious ceremonies, hundreds of Center Streets, on July 18th from 9; 30
kachinas and a hall filled with candid a.m. to 6 p.m. and on July 19th from 10
photographs taken by Joseph Mora. a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be dealers, door
Shortly after these photographs were prizes, exhibits, demonstrations and on
taken, cameras were banned from Hopi Saturday, an oldtimer's potluck. Admis-
public dances, and are still banned to- sion is a $1.00 donation. Contact Ken
day. For further information, contact Wilson, 4453 Ranchero Dr., Soquel, CA 75-188Highway 111,
Barbara Lanctot at (312) 322-8859. 95073, or call (408) 476-2850. Indian Wells, Calif. 92260
Phone (714) 346-8113
June 27-28: In Ventura, CA, there will July 25-26: In Santa Fe, New Mexico,
be a spectacular Flower and Plant Sale, the 30th Annual Spanish Market. More
with many varieties of plants being ex- than 30 artisans display such crafts as
hibited and sold. It will be held in the colcha embroidery, bultos, retablos, fur- ©INSHOOTING
Agriculture Building at the Ventura niture and filagree jewelry. Admission is
County Fairgrounds. The show will be free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For fur- V
judged; admission is $1, with children
under 12 free. Hours are: Saturday and
ther information, call (505) 827-2544.
July 28-29: 25th Annual Puye Cliffs TREASURE CD
South Bend, Ind.—Stude- By 1858, when the gold rush 1923, it produced 146,000
baker was a household word for was definitely on the wane, automobiles. It manufactured a
a century, famous at first for the "Wheelbarrow Johnny," as the line of high-quality, medium-
manufacture of quality wagons miners called him, had saved priced cars which were popular THE CLARION'S
and later for automobiles and $8,000. He took this money with commercial travelers, par-
trucks. The original seed money, back to South Bend, bought out ticularly in the midwest. During LAST CALL
which ultimately was parlayed one of his brothers for $1,500 World War II, the corporation
into $500 million annual sales and used the rest to expand the manufactured military vehicles We are discontinuing
and a payroll of some 23,000 family wagon business. and aircraft engines. the Clarion depart-
persons, was earned by John M. During the Civil War, the Studebaker was the first ment of Desert with
Studebaker in the Mother Lode company was able to obtain manufacturer to introduce a
between 1835 and 1858, but it some Union Army orders. From genuinely new model after this issue. We will
wasn't made in mining. there, it was on its way. Sales World War II (1947), styled by continue The Desert
John Studebaker made his totaled $233,000 by 1867 and the famed industrial designer, Rockhound and Desert
money at what is now Placer- more than one million eight Raymond Loewy. However, the Calendar. We are
ville. At that time it was known years later. The Conestoga or realities of post-war economics,
as Hangtown, an appropriate "covered" wagon was the most which ultimately wiped out all of planning additional
description of its criminal justice famous of Studebaker's prod- the United States independent features and depart-
system. Studebaker arrived ucts. car companies or forced them ments about the cele-
there in 1853 and went to work The first automobile made by into unwelcome mergers, were bration of life on the
at the H. L. Hinds blacksmith Studebaker was an electric in to take their toll on Studebaker.
shop, but his real money came 1902. Gasoline car production Studebaker was actually the last desert.
from moonlighting. In the even- started two years later. When independent, although it was — The Publisher
ings, after a full day's work, he John Studebaker died in 1917, merged with Packard at the time
made exceptionally well con- the company, which had been of its demise. ••!••>•>•> • : • • • • • • • > • > • • • • • : ' • • > • • ; •
structed wheelbarrows which he incorporated in 1911, was just at - T h e NEVAD1AN
36 (Cactus (Uttg
Ozymandias
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and snear of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822)
.* j.A\-
A folk story emanates from a remote fishing village on the west coast
of Baja California. The way it's told, a government supply ship
runs aground, the crew is plucked from an angry sea by an unlikely
multi-national rescue team, and its cargo of beer is recovered. Much
of the beer is sold to finance a long-needed school for the poor village,
with some saved for a party that attains legendary proportions. Grist
for a Hollywood movie? Maybe, but as a folktale, it has two flaws:
It's recent and it's true.
P
kUNTA BAJA, the setting, is a three children, only one of which is of at the camp possible.
peninsula and a lobster camp school age, parents are in their late The weather at the point is as unpre-
located some 200 miles south of twenties and nearly every adult is the dictable as the windward side is dan-
Tijuana. The peninsula is wide and son or daughter of mainland Mexico gerous. A prevailing northwesterly
mountainous at the base. As it extends peasants. Each has emigrated to Baja in wind blows from March to October;
toward the sea, it grows narrow and the last decade, seeking to break a cul- more than half the time it prevents
drops abruptly to where the village sits ture of poverty. As a group, they are villagers from working at sea in their
on a flat, elevated headland a half-mile durable and resourceful, but not hard. open 18-foot skiffs. When big surf
wide and a mile long. A shock to most The men make their living diving for combines with high tide, the villagers
American visitors, the stark village con- sea urchin, trapping lobster and har- even avoid the rocky shoreline. They
sists of a dozen two-room houses, each vesting seaweed and mussels from the know it only takes one wave to sweep
about 14 by 20 feet. Construction is peninsula's rocks. The women take them into a churning ocean and onto
tarpaper over framing. Floors are dirt care of the men and the children. the jagged, mussel-covered rocks.
or cement. Door hinges are of tire Punta Baja was a seasonally occupied
tread. There is no running water or fish camp before the late 1973 opening After rescue and salvage: Above
electricity, no gas station, no of the paved, two-lane transpeninsula from left, Orville Hovdey, his
restaurant, no store, and, until recent- highway that now runs through nearby stepdaughter Cheryl Harris, three
ly, no schoolhouse. El Rosario. The road opened new fish- unidentified crew members, and
An average Punta Baja family has ing markets, making year-around living Nolberto Alvarado.
38 JULY, 1981
Destiny flung the Mexican government supply ship, Noroeste, onto the
rocks off Punta Baja, but her salvaged cargo of beer built a school.
The story of the ship and the beer Hovdey family had hunted and fished
and the rescue and the cargo that the Punta Baja area for years and, had
bought a school begins with the arrival been befriended by the villagers. The
of a group of North Americans at the The weather at the point is as memorial contribution was the North
point on June 23, 1978. All from San unpredictable as the windward Americans' way of saying "thanks" to
Diego, they had come to deliver a side is dangerous. the villagers and a final goodbye to Ed-
memorial gift of food and clothing in ward Hovdey.
the name of Edward Hovdey, 25, who Upon arrival, the visitors made camp
had died in a traffic accident. The and then walked to the block house of
The Noreste's lifeboat, not used in
the rescue, was washed ashore
three coves beyond and sold. The
proceeds were added to the school
fund.
Within minutes, Harris was in the their plastic collars, floated into the happy, laughing; it seemed like it was
water. He found it deceptively rough cove. all part of what was meant to be. My
and cold. Nevertheless, he swam As with the rescue, it was a race son would not have wanted it different-
against the surge, a line tied to him. It against the incoming tide. Within a- iy."
took Harris several minutes to reach short time waves would be breaking By 2 p.m., the task was completed.
the ship, and when he arrived he found eight to 10 feet over the boat and much As the beer and the memorial donation
the crewmen clutching the port rail, of the cove's beach would be under of food and clothing were being stored,
their knuckles white. water. Time pressed the villagers as the high tide battered the helpless
Next, McKay entered the water and they scurried to collect the beer. Sever- Noroeste. Waves broke over and buried
swam toward Harris and the Noroeste. al, dressed in black wetsuits, worked in the ship.
As he made headway against the break- the surf and cove, pushing the packs of The crew members were taken to El
ers, Alvarado and his two oldest sons beer to children on the beach. The Rosario over a 10-mile-long, new dirt
secured a second line to shore and tied children, acting like worker ants, gath- road, and from there they were taken
Harris' line to it. ered the beer in their arms and in by truck back to Ensenada where there
Harris, now joined by McKay, buckets and took it to men who loaded was another ship waiting to take them
coaxed the crew members into the baskets to be hauled up the face of the to Cedros Island.
water. One by one, they jumped in. cliff. As they worked, other villagers That night, the Alvarado family and
Using the rope for guidance and sup- descended into the coves to the north the Hovdey party enjoyed a banquet of
port, they began to pull and kick them- to collect cans which had drifted into their own making that included a giant
selves toward the cove. When one man them. salad of fresh fruit from the wrecked
hesitated, frozen with fear, Harris and It went unsaid that the beer collected ship. The North Americans left the
McKay urged him on. The two strong- would go into the fund to build a next day, with a case ol Tecate beer in
swimming Americans kept the five school, but each villager worked as if tow.
crewmen moving through the surfline. he knew. Each can represented not What happened next is not precisely
Hand over hand, each was shoved beer, then, but rather a piece of win- known, but one source in El Rosario
alternatively into the rope and away dow or rafter or perhaps pages of a claims:
from it by waves and vicious riptide textbook. "The whole bunch of them at Punta
currents. With the villagers scrambling, two of Baja were drunk for a week. They sal-
the Americans, Sam Young and Cheryl vaged nearly 1,000 cases of beer from
The Law of the Sea Harris, invited the crew members to that ship and then they brought it into
Meanwhile, word of the ship and its their makeshift camp. A fire was built town here and were selling it all over
endangered crew spread among the and dry clothes —taken from the the place. But after a couple of days
villagers, and as the two Americans memorial supply —and a breakfast of nobody could even drive into town."
herded the five men toward safety, a coffee and scrambled eggs were given Sources at Punta Baja do not deny
crowd gathered on the cliff. When the the crew. this account, but they oiler no details
last crew member was in range of the For five, long, arduous hours, the nor explanation. About all that is clear
beach in waist-deep water and the first Mexicans plucked cans from the is that after the Americans left, the vil-
two were already on the gravel-like beaches and from the 57-degree water lagers did take the beer into El Rosario
beach, a joyful shout came from the and hauled them up the cliff. In all, and peddled it at cut-rate prices from
onlookers. The victims had made it. 20,000 cans of the red-label Tecate the backs of old pickup trucks. At
Harris and McKay, caught up in the beer were recovered. Including the some point, a halt was called to the
adventure, rested only briefly. Fol- Noroeste's lifeboat that had been found sales, and the Mexicans relaxed the
lowed by Alvarado's two sons, both on a beach three coves to the north- self-discipline they had imposed. A
also in wetsuits, the Americans swam ward, the salvage would bring about celebration of sorts ensued, restrained
back toward the ship. Once back at the 88,000 pesos, or about $4,000 —more enough so that beer was available at
crippled vessel, they pulled themselves than enough for the school. Punta Baja two months later. Still, the
aboard. entire episode is legend today.
Harris found a machete and began to Then the Party In the spring of 1979, after the rainy
hack away at the ropes that tied down Hovdey recalls: season and after the lobsters had been
the cargo of beer. The abandoned car- "Everyone worked themselves half to harvested, three of the villagers drove
go, according to maritime law, be- death getting that stuff put in baskets to Ensenada and bought the plywood
longed to those who laid claim to it: and hauled up the cliff, but n couldn't and tarpaper and framing needed for
the villagers. And Harris and McKay have been better under the circum- the school. Within a month, they had
would assist as they had done with the stances. It was kind of like an ongoing constructed their own cement-floor,
crew. Case by case, the two Americans festival and it proved a good way to 29-by-15-foot schoolhouse.
and Alvarado's sons tossed liberated deal with our sadness. No, there wasn't In the fall, it was named for and
beer into the sea and watched as the much beer drinking going on. dedicated to the memory of Eduardo
river of cans, held in packs of six by Everyone was working hard, being Hovdey. @
DESERT 41
I
T'S MID-SUMMER, 1981,
in California's San Joaquin
Valley. The mercury bubbles
past fever level, swamp coolers drone
impotently and refrigeration com-
pressors implode in 110-degree heat.
Except for the conveniences, it was the
same in 1909, when a young Sicilian
immigrant named Baldasare Forestiere
left his job digging subways for the
city of New York and moved to
Fresno, California, agricultural hub of
the fabled "Big Valley."
An older brother, Anthony, had
already settled in Fresno and pur-
chased 20 acres of land. Soon enough,
Baldasare found a 70-acre plot that
parted him with his savings. His inten-
tion was to raise the citrus that had
made his father a prosperous grower
and merchant in his native country, to
plant an orchard that would eventually
bear the long green of the American
dream.
He began to dig into the new land,
CITRUS TREE
GRAFTED TO BEAR but each time his spade creased the fer-
SEVEN FRUITS tile topsoil it seemed to find a rock.
NWElORAHtt Like some malign divining rod, the
(KNEE
SUEET LEMON implement jabbed the earth repeatedly,
LEI1ON only to come to a knee-jarring halt one
or two feet beneath the surface. The
sprout-ripe land was underlaid with
hardpan, a broken layer of sedimentary
rock that skulks just below the surface
in parts of the valley.
Eventually, he would blast away
areas of the foot-thick shale to make
Baldasare demonstrated Mediterranean expertise room for some trees, and the im-
in causing plants to do his bidding. mediate grounds would be planted
with shallow-rooted shrubs and peren-
nials, but Baldasare realized it would
take more dynamite than good sense to
transmute his rigid acreage into a pros-
A Legacy Greater than Dollars perous orchard. Stagnant eddies of July
heat dulled everything but the painful-
ly temperate memory of his Mediterra-
Underground
him to regroup after his scorching
bouts with the summer sun.
First he dug an adjoining pair of
cellars shaped like inverted tea cups.
Each had a base of roughly 10 feet and
W ' HEN IT comes to desert sur- evolving larger, thicker and fleshier In these respects, the century plant
vival, man is no match for the parts to act as water storage spaces. or agave is a typical succulent, and a
lowliest ant or the scruffiest These juicy plants are among the most striking member of the native
desert plant. Stranded in 120 degrees interesting in the world: They can en- American desert plant community. Its
without water, he will die in one to dure temperatures 28 to 36 degrees thick, sword-like evergreen leaves
two days, experiencing first agonizing Fahrenheit above the limit of other radiate from a very short central stem
thirst, then numbness, delerium and plants, and have a photosynthetic cycle in a rosette pattern which may be com-
finally mummification from the outside that is fundamentally different. pact, like an artichoke, or considerably
in. Training and self discipline only more open. The leaves are usually saw-
prolong the inevitable; skin color, age edged with stout prickles, and taper to
and physical condition provide little or a viciously sharp spine. Century plants
no advantage. range in size from the tiny Agave
When it's hot, people sweat, and in pumila in a three-inch pot to the two-
sweating lose water that must be ton giant, Agave atrovirens, with leaves
replaced almost immediately if they are some 15 feet long and one foot wide.
to survive. Two-thirds of the human Regardless of size, the agave is
body by weight is water; losing a mere designed to absorb maximum water
10 percent of that causes derangement. quickly during the infrequent desert
Fifteen to 25 percent dehydration is rainstorms, but to minimize its loss
the theoretical limit for man. over the long dry haul. Because of the
There's nothing like a mid-July day rosette shape of the plant, the leaves
to underline our own marginal status shade one another and present the
as desert dwellers, and to call attention greatest photosynthesizing surface in
to more specialized and successful the least space. The stiff leaves resist
species. Thousands and thousands of excessive movement, a source of
years of desert life have given man evaporation, while a tough, often
neither camel-like storage equipment shiny, waterproof coating reflects light
nor a kangaroo rat's water in- and keeps moisture in.
dependence. We are not nocturnal Shallow fibrous roots radiate around
animals, nor do we burrow, estivate or the plant. They cluster densely near
have adaptively high body tempera- the base, where water traveling down
tures. We cannot go dormant or reduce the smooth, erect leaves tends to col-
transpiration or draw on stored fluids, lect, and where droplets of moisture
as many desert plants do. from leaf margins fall. Even the sharp
Because plants seem to thrive in the spines seem to help; they provide
dryest lands, we tend to make light of points upon which night dew can con-
their water requirements. Since they dense.
don't get water, we assume they don't When the agave is ready to bloom, Variously known as maguey, mescal,
need it, but plants must have water to a great asparagus-like stalk races lechuguilla and amole, the agave is
live and grow. They need it to absorb skyward at a rate of up to one foot native in the southwestern United
food from the soil as well as for a day. States, through Mexico and into north-
photosynthesis, which transforms light ern South America. ("Century plant"
energy from the sun into chemical Usually, plants photosynthesize dur- is a misnomer. It doesn't really take
energy for growth. This crucial process ing the day, opening pores, or stomata, the agave 100 years to bloom, although
begins with the action of light on to absorb necessary carbon dioxide and it may seem that long to an impatient
water. The bizarre shapes and odd to release oxygen back into the air. grower). The periodic drought condi-
growth cycles of many desert plants are Water vapor normally escapes at the tions throughout their range impose
mute testimony to water needs as great same time, potential suicide for plants slow growth which ends, seven to 75
or greater than our own. that must hoard every drop. Succulents years later, in a spectacular burst of
During the gradual changes in solve this problem by opening stomata reproductive blossom.
climate and habitat that altered plant only at night, when the danger of The trigger is poorly understood, but
arrearance and chemistry to resist evaporation is lowest. This unique the result is one of the special delights
thirst, many evolved smaller leaves, strategy works because they have of spring and summer on the desert.
thinner, harder stems and deeply prob- evolved a way to extract and hold car- The inner leaves part, and within a few
ing root systems. Cacti and other suc- bon dioxide until daylight. It is then days a great asparagus-like stalk begins
culents went in the opposite direction, that photosynthesis can be completed. racing skyward at a rate of up to one
DESERT 45
foot a day until, 40 feet high in the
larger species, it explodes in large
S
INCE LATE paleolithic times, at Nevada petroglyph sites and ana-
story unfolds. North Africa and parts of the lyzed by Libyan scholars in Libya, that
Informed amateurs are destined to Sahara desert were inhabited by the Libyans' arrivals had to be prior to
play an important role in this un- a light-skinned people called Libyans A.D. 1250 at the latest and possibly
folding. Those of us who poke around by the Greeks and Barbari, or began prior to 250 B.C., when Libyan
remote places on the desert are the most foreigners, by the Romans because of galley slaves sailed the high seas with
likely to come upon these ancient their difference from black-skinned their Carthaginian captors to export
signs. natives. Barbari ultimately became cor- lumber, gold and furs.
Until very recently, even the in- rupted to Berber. From where these I cannot resist applying Dr. Fell's
formed among us classified most "In- people originated remains one of the Libyan theory to two remarkable sites
dian" petroglyphs chiseled into canyon great mysteries of African.history. that have haunted my psyche much as
walls and boulders as either curvilinear Carvings of bearded huntsmen carrying the Mohave desert inscription played
or rectilinear signs designed by their spears and throwsticks while they upon Willard Bascom's. The first is a
primitive makers to induce hunting stalked beasts of the Libyan desert huge pictograph painted upon the wall
magic. The exciting findings of Dr. have been found in Egypt, which sug- of a canyon in Utah's Land of Stand-
Fell suggest that many of these so- gests that some of the earliest Pharaohs ing Rocks. It depicts a majestic beard-
called natives were seasoned travelers may have been Libyan chieftains. ed figure surrounded by a bevy of
from distant lands, attempting to Fiercely independent, they became black-draped shrouds. The beard is
establish an advanced civilization in overlords of the Sahara's arid moun- depicted by four ziggy parallel lines,
the New World long before Columbus, tains and deserts, always on the move running from large, empty eyes down
or even the Norseman, Leif Erikkson, from one oasis to the next, staying in to the waist. The long figures are
was born. each only long enough to grow a crop roughly vee-shaped, with arms and legs
Sites such as Grapevine Canyon near of grain and breed their sheep and wrapped in their shrouds. I had always
the Colorado River on the Nevada- goats. Their main wealth came from thought the mural resembled a Moslem
California border, where figures are produce, which they traded variously with his veiled harem until I happened
repetitive and cover a large area, were with the Phoenicians, Greeks, Egyp- upon an Egyptian king's mummiform
used for teaching navigation, tians, Persians, Romans, Vandals and in a museum. It could have been a
astronomy and tribal history, along Byzantines who paraded through model for the ancient mural in the
with communicating pragmatic signals North Africa's history. Although some Utah canyon —a pharaoh prepared for
of warning against snakes and scor- Libyans were employed to man mer- burial far from home, accompanied in
pions. Photos of this site and many chant and war galleys of the Carthagin- death by his smaller-sized attendants.
ians, their usual tendency was to Islam invaded Libya in A.D. 646 and
•Times Books, New York, 1980 escape the tumult of war by hiding out proceeded to dominate the Mediterra-
DESERT 51
were trying to preserve. sparse, seasonally flooded fields of
I read of their futile attempt in an northern Columbia in the San Jorge
old newspaper clipping. I hastened to River district have turned up intricate
Dr. Fell is Needles to hire a pilot to take me up in clay corrugations standing out in bold
confident that his small plane, so that I could relief that were overlooked even by the
photograph any remaining segments Spanish when they first arrived. Ridge
countless clues for the Desert Magazine file. When the designs at that location stand several
of early Libyan pilot learned what I was after, he nosed feet high and extend for more than a
his plane to the Arizona side of the mile. Some run at right angles to the
civilizations remain river instead. The mazes on the several rivers in the area, others form
Needles side had entirely disappeared, checkerboard patterns; still others ap-
undisturbed he informed me, but one day while fly- pear to have no orientation to the river
on the desert. ing when the sun was low, he had banks.
detected a vast area shadowed with It is believed that an unknown peo-
windrows on the Arizona side. Until ple built the washboard-like windrows,
then, he had flown over it for 20 years possibly more than 1,000 years ago,
nean from A.D. 700 onward. Is it without ever noticing it. Had he not using only the crudest of implements.
possible that a fleet of escaping Lib- known exactly what to look for and Their motive remains a mystery,
yans could have reached America then, where, we would never have found the although some authorities speculate
or even earlier, around 325 B.C., with huge circular maze scraped out of stark that the shallow channels lying be-
a related Egyptian king whom they desert that soon appeared below us. tween the ridges may have carried
commemorated on the canyon wall? Estimated from our 2,000-foot water to or from grain or root crops
The second engima related to a site altitude, it covered a diameter of ap- grown on top of the mounds.
that Dr. Fell has not yet explored. proximately one-half mile. One broad Carbon-14 dating of a shell mound
However, the horticultural practices of wash and several smaller ones cut nearby reveals a culture that goes back
a nomadic desert culture such as that through it, but on each side of the to 3090 B.C. Even though the site lies
of the Libyans could apply to a gigan- washes, the concentric lines continued on a well-traveled air route, as does the
tic range of windrows scraped into the uninterrupted. How aborigines could Arizona site, it had not been noticed
hard, rocky earth on the Arizona side have achieved a design of such until the late 1960s.
of the Colorado River, south of Topoc. magnitude in the hard, rocky terrain
The discovery of the first of these
O
seemed inconceivable, but there it was. NE OF the wonders of the
maze-like scrapings that covered more The ridges were not all of uniform desert is that its tracks remain
than 10 acres of ground achieved cause distance apart, especially where they preserved for millenia, almost
celebre in the 1950s when the city of converged one into the other, so it as fresh as the day they were made,
Needles applied for an historical could not have been achieved with unless they lie in the path of floods,
marker from the California Highway mechanical equipment. sand dunes or man. Before Hoover
Department to commemorate what was Some areas were less rocky than Dam, the Colorado river flooded
believed to be a prehistoric Indian site others, and here the windrows showed seasonally. The channel frequently
on the California side of the river. The distinctly because sun-darkened rocks jumped its banks and changed courses.
application was denied. Unlike a site scraped from the light-toned earth ac- Could Libyan adventurers actually
endowed with a marker at nearby cented them. In rockier areas, though, have carried on their hereditary
Blythe, where giant intaglios of where gravel extended deeper under seasonal harvests here as they roamed
relatively recent Indian origin were the surface, exposed rocks between the the deserts of the New World?
scraped into the desert, there was no windrows also had darkened and the Shortly after this discovery, I wrote
precedent for the Needles maze of pattern was indistinct, unless you were about it.in Desert Magazine. Revealing
windrows. Those who bestow such close enough to detect the difference in letters from readers argued the origin
honors are suspect of a site that has no contour. of the windrow maze pro and con.
precedent in accepted history texts. Desert varnish (the brown coating) Some related it to the so-called Topoc
At that time, the only verification of that covered the upper surfaces of the maze made by mechanical scrapers
authenticity that Needles old-timers rocks that formed the windrows was during the construction of the present
could conjure was having witnessed a the only clue to age. According to Pro- bridge. Arda Haenszel, a teacher and
tribal ceremony in which local Indians fessor Blackwelder of Stanford Univer- archaeological reporter for the San Ber-
made running forays through the maze, sity, the climate in the area has not nardino County Museum, blew that
allegedly designed to lure evil spirits changed for 600 years. It is thus theory by sending me actual photos of
into a trap. Whether the contemporary reasonably safe to assume that the the Topoc maze taken by her father, an
Indians had created the traps or began covering of desert varnish on the ex- early physician in the area. They were
running through them just because posed sides of the rocks that form the not the same, nor was the maze we had
they were there, even the Indians windrows developed over a period discovered located near enough to the
couldn't answer. At any rate, a good prior to that. highway or any other development of
part of the maze had been destroyed in There may not be acknowledged modern civilization to provide ingress
1891, when the Santa Fe Railroad con- precedents for this particular and egress for mechanical equipment.
structed a bridge across the Colorado prehistoric wonder, but similar earthen Arda Haenszel's most important con-
River, and more had disappeared with ridges engineered with geometric preci- tribution, however, was an awareness
the subsequent building of the sion by pre-Columbian aborigines in of similar sites to the north along the
highway. It was only a few remaining South America have been recognized. Colorado that had attracted the atten-
portions that the frustrated citizens Aerial photographs taken over the tion of her father when he practiced
52 JULY, 1981
1 ' Jjf i if i
tor •
;
k .^ ••-• l
- • •
_-•
medicine at Searchlight, Nevada in the were rendered first on hides or parch- Author Pepper theorizes this
1920s. He had photographed them as ment which still may lie preserved in pictograph depicts an ancient
well, and they were subsequently dry desert sands. It is his further belief pharaoh prepared for death far
mapped and recorded by the Museum that the advanced civilization intro- from home, accompanied by his
staff. duced to the Americas by these people, smaller attendants.
Dr. Fell is confident that countless who disappeared without a trace, faded
clues of early Libyan civilizations re- into oblivion just as all knowledge did A bone-shaped pattern, like an ingot,
main undisturbed on the desert, where in Europe during the Dark Ages. represents money. A circle with a dot
little exploratory work has been ac- All desert petroglyphs, of course, are inside depicts a man's chest. When the
complished. Hundreds of Carthegin- not of the same vintage or origin. circle encloses a cross, it signifies his
ian, Iberian, Greek, Roman and However, once you become familiar warshield. A thick circle represents a
Libyan-Arabic coins have been found with the Libyan Numidian Arabic and man, sometimes with a stick-like body
across the United States, all used for Kufic Arabic scripts most typical of attached to it, and there are endless
trade by Libyans. Replicas of them are those in the southwest, you quite easily variations of the above, to say nothing
typical of many Nevada and California discern the difference between old and of markings that comprise the Arabic
petroglyphs sites. Twenty-five percent new. alphabet and spell out entire messages.
of these coins have been plowed up on For a starter, grid designs often A similarity that has struck me in
farmlands, with an equal percentage mistaken for prehistoric gaming boards petroglyphs around the world is a
cast upon beaches. Foundation dig- have been identified by Libyan predilection for handprints. I had
gings have produced another 15 per- scholars of ancient Arabic calligraphy never before associated the ones in the
cent, while stream beds and well as serving the mathematical purpose of southwest with the hand of Fatima, but
diggings have brought up only five an abacus. The dots associated with the recurring sign was as prominent a
percent each, which may explain why them totaled accounts. Map dots joined symbol in early Carthage as it later
so few have been found as yet on the by lines, however, indicate island arcs, became to followers of Islam and early
arid desert. while i horizontal series of dots ending southwest desert arrivals.
In addition to rock art and coins, Dr. with a small circle (sun) indicate the A pioneering role in future insights
Fell is further struck by the similarity meridian of the day, or zero longitude. into world history, and the part our
of cliff dwellings at Montezuma's A horizontal, serpentine line on a map- continent played in it, is up for grabs.
Castle and Mesa Verde National Park type petroglyph, often mistaken for a All of us can participate. Desert ex-
to cliff dwellings of early North snake, is the sign for the sea, unless the plorations with a constructive goal are
African peoples. Ceramic bowls, made upward projections are sharply pointed far more exciting than aimless wander-
without use of a potter's wheel and to form the sign for mountains. When ings, so please carry a camera, do not
bearing identical designs, are also these same signs are vertical, their disturb sites by chalking or removing
characteristic of both cultures. The meaning changes. Land boundaries are petroglyphic rocks, and follow these
sophisticated navigational maps chis- identified by a series of rectangles or pages for further developments in solv-
eled into stone in Nevada, he believes, squares. ing prehistoric desert mysteries. @
DESERT 53
THE HOPI TRADITION
by Thomas Kavanagh and Mike Kabotie
Photographs by Jerry D. Jacka
S
IXTY MILES north of benefit the people, and add to the
Winslow, Arizona, strung like whole that is Hopi. Only after they
beads along Route 264, are proved their knowledge were they
the 13 Hopi villages. The Hopi people assigned farm lands and allowed to join
have lived in the Hopi Tutsqua (Hopi the villages.
Lands) for at least 1,500 years, and Some of these clans were warriors;
their villages are some of the oldest they were assigned to for the defense of
residential sites in the continental the Hopi Tutsqua. Both Mishongnovi
United States. Old Oraibi has been oc- on Second Mesa and the Tewa Village
cupied since early in the 12th Century, of Hano on First Mesa are such
and many of the other villages are at defender villages. (The Tewa of Hano
least 300 years old. are refugees from the Rio Grande
The villages of today show striking Pueblos of New Mexico, who came to
contrasts between the old and the new. the Hopi Tutsqua after the 1680
There are television antennas on Pueblo Revolt.) The Pumpkin Clan of
houses centuries old, prayer-blessing Mishongnovi was one of the last clan
feathers on pick-up trucks and Kachina groups to arrive, following the
spirits passing out Crackerjacks in the footsteps of the earlier groups, and so
village plazas, the latter a practice earned the position of historians. Other
frowned upon by some tradition- groups have a knowledge of the ways
minded elders. But even these con- of the religious life, and form the core
Demetrius Lacapa of Polacca trasts are in tune with Hopi traditions. of the complex ceremonial system of
A Hopi metaphor described the blend- the Hopi.
Hopi children (opposite page) per- ing of cultures and traditions as a The Hopi word kitsoki for village
form traditional dances during an string made up of several different implies more than simply a residential
Indian Day celebration at Second threads, each of which adds strength to site. It includes the entire social struc-
Mesa Day School. the whole. ture of the village, the interrelation-
This metaphor has constant applica- ships between the people who live
tions in Hopi life. The history of the there and their mutual responsibilities.
Hopi is not the history of a single peo- In a sense, it is the community of peo-
ple, but is made up of separate strands, ple that is important and not the place
stories of the clans migrating across where they live. No matter where a
North America, claiming it for the Hopi may move —to another village or
Creator, and returning to the Center, off the reservation —he retains ties to
Tuuwanasavi, the Hopi Tutsqua. his own village and returns there to
Throughout these migrations, the participate in its ceremonies.
Hisatsinom, the Ancient People, set- Entire villages have changed sites
tled sometimes for a while and farmed, without changing their internal rela-
and then moved on. Their "footprints" tionships. Walpi, on First Mesa,
are the now ruined villages scattered moved at least twice before its final ar-
over the North American southwest: rival at the top of the mesa in about
Kawestima (called in English Navajo 1690. Shongopavy, on Second Mesa,
National Monument), Kisiova (Mesa also moved to the top of that mesa at
Verde), the now lost Palotkwapi, the about the same time. In doing so, both
Red City in the South, and thousands of these villages sent off colonies which
of other archeological sites. were named Sichomovi and Shipaulovi.
When each of the clans reached the Here again, the establishment of a new
Center centuries ago, they petitioned residential site did not disrupt the
for admittance to the villages already village organization; the people from
established. They were then asked these colonies return to the mother
what knowledge they had which could continued on page 59
54 JULY, 1981
Clockwise from top left, Shipaulovi Village on
Second Mesa; Sgt. Alfonso Sakevi of the Hopi
police works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
Nina Mae Wytewa uses juniper in her stove at
Bacobi; Jackson Sekletstowa carves a Kachina
doll; students prepare exhibits for the
Cultural Center; Norma Ami grinds corn in
her piki house; Hopi pottery is traditionally
formed by hand; ceremonial sweet corn is
hung to dry; Patricia Lomawima (right) helps
Carol Dawahoya prepare for a Butterfly
Dance.
Ml,
can still see ancient ceremonies per- was her responsibility to feed the
guests on this very special occasion.
The Hopi Baby- formed in the village plazas, and
women using centuries-old techniques At midnight, Duane Farron Tootsie
Naming Ceremony to make pottery and baskets. It is here became 20 days old; old enough to
receive his Hopi name. He and his
that you can stand on the edge of a
Text and photographs by Jerry D. Jacka wind-blown mesa and look down on mother, Delaine, had been confined to
corn fields planted with nothing more his grandmother's house since he was
than a simple digging stick and
A
BOUT 60 miles north of watered only with prayerfully beck-
Winslow, Arizona there is a oned summer showers.
> place where time stands still. The Hopi way of life dictates that
It is rich in history, with remnants of man live in harmony with all things of
a culture centuries in the making. nature. This is exemplified in their
The land is vast, with sandy plains many ceremonies which incorporate
framed by high plateaus. The cliffs are symbols of the sun, moon, sky, clouds,
scribed with symbols pecked in the rain and practically every living thing,
including corn.
The use of corn and corn symbols
seems to be omnipresent in Hopi
ceremonies. This is better understood
if we realize that nearly 2,000 years After the ceremony, Crow Boy is given
ago, the ability to grow corn allowed his first taste of solid food, a sampling
the once nomadic Indians of the of everything served.
southwest to settle down to a sedentary
lifestyle with more permanent homes. brought home from the hospital. Ac-
This, in turn, allowed more time for cording to Hopi custom, the first-born
cultural activities and the development should not see the light of day until he
of better lifestyles. So today, corn still is 20 days old.
has a very special meaning to the At the first finger of dawn, things
Delaine Tootsie (with baby) holds
Hopi, even being symbolic of began to happen at the Tootsie
ceremonial ear of Mother Corn. motherhood. And nowhere is the household. While Elizabeth retrieved
Grandmother offers sacred corn meal. motherhood symbol of corn more ob-
vious than during a baby-naming
stone by the Anasazi, "The Ancient ceremony. Although not as colorful
Ones," who lived and farmed in the and spectacular as a Kachina dance, the
area for more than 1,000 years. naming of a baby is a warm, intimate
The tops of three mesas in the area and beautiful event.
are dotted with stone villages which Recently, in a small Hopi communi-
resemble those built by the Anasazi ty, an infant boy was given his Hopi
centuries ago. These are the pueblos of name during one of these ceremonies.
On the morning of this special occa-
sion, the sun had not yet risen. The
darkness was punctuated by an orange
flame of burning cedar and a few scat-
tered street lights at Polacca, which is
Crow Boy, otherwise known as Duane
nestled below the ancient villages on
Farron Tootsie, became 20 days old on
top of First Mesa. This "almost
the day he was named.
modern" Hopi community slept, ex-
cept for Elizabeth Tootsie, who kept the pik'ami from the pit, guests began
watch over the fire through the night. to arrive at her home.
In a house nearby, a young Hopi The infant boy became the center of
mother stirred restlessly as her 19-day- attention, but he seemed more con-
old son squirmed at her side. This was cerned with sleeping than participating
Godmother traditionally shows infant,
Elizabeth's grandson, who was to be in the events which were to follow.
named Crow Boy at that moment, the named at sunrise, named in the Hopi At the beginning of the rite, the
sun for the first time. way. baby's godmother placed sacred corn-
Elizabeth was cooking pik'ami, a meal on the four walls of the room.
their descendents, the Hopi Indians, a pudding made of cornmeal, which This is symbolic of "building a house"
group of people who for 300 years must bake all night in a pit beneath a for the child.
have retained their rich and beautiful, hot fire. While tending the fire, she As the soft light of the new day filled
culture, despite disruptive pressures was also preparing nyoqwivi, a stew of the room, the infant was held in his
and influences exerted by the non- hominy and lamb. She had already godmother's lap for a ceremonial hair
Indian world which surrounds them. spent almost two days baking bread in washing. His hair was washed with a
Today in the land of the Hopi, you an outdoor oven and making piki. It special ear of corn, which is a symbol
58 JULY, 1981
continued from page 54 Bahaana style. These villages have
of motherhood. The ear of corn was village to participate in its major elected governors, and hold regular
used as a brush to gently apply soap ceremonies. village meetings to discuss matters of
and water, first by his godmother, then The villages form the core of the importance to the village. Other
his paternal grandmother and finally, traditional social, ceremonial and villages have combined the two forms,
by the remainder of the guests. political life of the Hopi. Each village and delegates to the tribal council must
The beautiful Hopi infant remained is an independent state, much like the be certified by the Kikmongwi us being
calm throughout the hair washing, but city-states of ancient Greece. Tradi- representatives of their village.
loudly voiced his disapproval when he tionally, the villages are politically in- Other changes have included the
was given the ceremonial bath by his dependent, and except for the mother coming of Bahaana forms of education.
godmother. As she gently bathed the village to colony relationship, are also There are six elementary day schools
objecting baby, she softly whispered, ceremonially independent. Each village on the reservation, but high school
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." After a has a Kikmongwi, the Village Chief students must travel to Winslow, a
few strokes with a towel warmed by a who is literally the "Chief of the daily round trip of 120 miles, or even
wood-burning stove, the baby resumed Houses," and the mongwit, the council further to one of the Bureau ol~ Indian
his peaceful nature. of clan and society chiefs. This council Affairs boarding schools. There arc
The mother and child were reunited. is not a governmental body, and has no also plans to build a high school at
As the mother sat with the baby in her political authority. It is responsible for Polacca, below First Mesa, which will
arms, she was given the ear of "mother the ceremonial and spiritual well-being be controlled by a Hopi School Board.
corn." Sacred cornmeal was placed in of the people. The establishment of this high
her hand and on the baby's forehead. In light of the metaphor of the school has required another application
The baby's godmother, speaking in string, the Anglo-Americans are just of the metaphor of the string —the
Hopi, named the baby. Then one by the latest group to arrive at the Hopi combination of Bahaana-slylt
one, guests removed cornmeal from a Tutsqua, but the knowledge they bring classroom education with traditional
pottery bowl and placed it in the is of a different kind. Hopi teachings, and has raised the
mother's hand and presented gifts to When the white man first arrived at question of whether this combination
the baby. Fannie Nampeyo, the baby's Hopi in the 1800s, it was thought that is possible. Emory Sekaquaptewa, from
great-grandmother, said a special Hopi the Third Mesa village of Hotevilla,
prayer as she placed cornmeal in the and professor of anthropology at the
mother's hand. University of Arizona, describes it this
By now the sun had risen above the way:
horizon. The godmother and the The villages of today show As individuals, the Hopi people readily
mother, carrying her child, followed a striking contrasts between the accept and understand the need for the
cornmeal trail out of the house to greet old and the new. white man's education, and they accept
the sun. They faced the rising sun as many of the white man's personal goals
the mother cast the sacred cornmeal that education would help to bring. But
before her. Then she spoke in Hopi to as a society, the Hopi are concerned
the sun: "Now, this is Angwushtiyo about the goals that are to be realized
seeing the sun for the first time." they might be the Bahaana, the Elder through the traditional cultural
It was time to eat. Even the baby Brother, who went eastward during the teachings. Each Hopi has to deal for
took part as his paternal grandmother migrations, and would return with a himself with the question oj whether these
touched a sampling of each kind of great technical knowledge. Although goals are consistent with one another,
food to his lips. Then everyone en- Americans have not proven themselves and ij not, whether the two ca>i be
joyed the feast of pik'ami, nyoquivi, to be the Elder Brother, they are com- reconciled.
piki and bread. monly referred to as Bahaanam (plural It is not easy to foresee the future, to
Since it is a Hopi custom to pay for of Bahaana). be able to say whether the Hopi will
anything which is received, the The Bahaanam have been in the become one of the many strands that
relatives on the father's side of the Hopi Tutsqua for almost 100 years, make up the American people, or con-
family would be repaid for taking part and great changes have occurred in versely, whether the Bahaanam in the
in the ceremony and bringing gifts. Hopi life because of their presence. Hopi Tutsqua will be woven into Hopi
Elizabeth Tootsie had prepared well There has been, and continues to be, a life. Either way one thing is certain;
for this part of the ceremony. She had debate over how much of Bahaana the Hopi villages will always be at the
made extra bread and piki, ground ways should be woven into the fabric Center.
corn into meal and purchased dry of Hopi life. The Hopi villages are open to
goods and food in order to fulfill her One of the changes has been the visitors except during certain
obligation. As the guests returned establishment of a tribal council, ideal- ceremonial occasions. The villages re-
home that morning, the back of a pick- ly made up of delegates from each of quest that visitors respect the Hopi
up truck was almost filled with the the villages. Some of the villages, traditions. No photographs, sketching
gifts they had received. however, refuse to send delegates to or recording is permitted. If you do
As the ceremony drew to a close, the the council, claiming that it is simply a visit the Hopi Tutsqua, dress com-
infant slept in his mother's arms, quite creation of the Bahaana government to fortably, but remember that the Hopi
oblivious to all that had taken place. dominate their lives. Others feel that standards of proper dress are somewhat
But he did see the sun for the first although it is not traditional, it is one more restricted than those of most
time and he now had a Hopi name, way to deal with the "outside." American tourists. Some of the villages
Angwushtiyo . . . Crow Boy. Some of the villages have modified have further visitor regulations that are
the traditional forms towards the posted at their entrances. 0
HFSPRT Sfl
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